Packaging rectangular objects and embedding them in a matrix



April 3, 1962 P. w. ADLER 3,027,694

PACKAGING RECTANGULAR OBJECTS AND EMBEDDING THEM IN A MATRIX Filed June 15, 1959 5 4 3 1 If 0 y 4 I 2 4 I 7 a 6 fli gofi 1; 9 4 12 ,1 L 10 11mm" 41 24 j k 1 a I: i 40 i j 42 i 49 4 l i rk 51 53 62 i 61 59 1 a? I PAUL w. ADLER,

INVENTOR.

Attorney 3,027,694 PACKAGING RECTANGULAR OBJECTS AND EMEEDDENG THEM IN A MATRTX Paui Wiiiiam Adler, Burbank, Calif., assignor to B. H, Hadley, Clareniont, Calif. Fiied June 15, 1959, Ser. No. 820,270 14 Qiaims. (CI. 53-44) The invention relates to packaging rectangular objects, such as shrapnel and embedding the same in a matrix to provide uniform resistance to blasting or explosion of the internal explosive and uniform shot pattern.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to prepare the shrapnel surface by providing an internal shell which serves as a housing for the blasting charge, the exterior of the shell being provided with a layer of spaced shrapnel elements, for example in the form of a cube inch on each side, another layer of shrapnel elements being cemented on the first layer, and this process repeated to build up a multi-layer of sufficient thickness. A suitable plastic is then applied to fill the spaces between the elements. The disadvantage of this process is that a long period of time such as fifteen to twenty hours is required to package and embed the shrapnel elements in a matrix.

An object of the invention is to accomplish the packaging in a very much shorter period of time. A further object is to embed the shrapnel elements in a matrix in an improved manner which is made possible by the above noted packaging.

The packaging is accomplished automatically by providing the war head with a hollow space defined by inner and outer walls, each such wall preferably being a surface of revolution such as a sphere, cone or cylinder or any combination thereof, the distance between such walls being uniform and of a size to accommodate the desired multiple layer of shrapnel elements and its matrix.

To give a brief description of the manner in which the packaging is automatically accomplished, the invention provides for feeding the shrapnel elements automatically, such feed being accomplished for example, by machines which are now available on the market such as the Syntron vibratory electric motor, wherein the inside of the cylindrical wall of the feed magazine has an inwardly facing spiral track of a size to receive the shrapnel elements, the magazine being vibrated by a magnetic drive in a vertical direction and having inclined snubber springs to snub the rotation of the magazine about the vertical axis and cause the shrapnel elements to move outwardly and upwardly along the track, from a loading position in the magazine. The resultant of the force is always in the same direction, resulting in a constant stream of the elements which issue from the top of the spiral track. One reason that this description is given is to make it clear that the Syntron device while satisfactory as a feed mag azine, has been found inoperative to package or fill the space between two concentric walls, as above described, such walls being spaced apart a uniform distance sulficient to accommodate the layers of the shrapnel elements, the above mentioned vibratory arrangement being applied to the support for the hollow wall container. While three-layers are shown, by Way of example, a smaller or greater number may be used.

As a result of some study of the reasons why the above packaging arrangement is not successful, it has been discovered, as shown by test, that success is achieved by vibrating thehollow wall structure or container vertically at a very high frequency such as 3600 vibrations per minute (there being 60 pulses per second due to half wave rectification of a 60 cycle A.C..'supply for the vibrating magnet), while the container is oscillated or vibrated through a small .arc around the vertical axis at a very ire States Patent 6 "ice much lower frequency such as to vibrations per minute.

Due to the action of gravity, the shrapnel elements seek the lowest possible position in the vertically arranged container. According to another feature of the invention, such elements are embedded in the matrix by admitting the fluid matrix material to the bottom of the container while evacuating the top of the container and while subjecting the container to the same combination of high frequency vertical and lower frequency oscillatory vibrations around the axis as employed for the packaging.

An example of matrix material which may be employed is the liquid plastic Epoxy and hardener, with or without heat. The plastic is applied in liquid form and flows around all sides of each shrapnel element. Due to the presence of the hardener, with or without heat, the shrapnel elements thus coated or embedded, form a rigid body as the liquid matrix material hardens and becomes solid.

For further details of the invention, reference may be made to the drawings herein.

FIG. 1 is a side view in elevation, partly in section, of a machine for packaging rectangular objects such as steel shrapnel elements in the form of a cube, the machine also being useful for embedding the packaged objects in a matrix.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a portion of the container and its combined vibratory and oscillatory support, with parts broken away.

FIG. 4 is a side view in elevation of the container of FIG. 1, with matrix inlets and a vacuum outlet.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on the broken line 55 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of a large number of shrapnel elements to be packaged and embedded by the machine in the other figures.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the feed device is illustrated at 1 in FIG. 1. As described above, this has a vertical vibrating hollow shell 2 into which a supply of the shrapnel elements is loaded. Shell 2 on its inner face has a spiral groove indicated at 3, and due to the motion imparted to the shell 2, the shrapnel elements indicated at 4 in FIGS. 1 and 6, are caused to ride up the inclined groove 3 to an elevated point 5 where they are discharged into a downwardly chute 6. The lower end 7 of chute 6 discharges the shrapnel elements into the upper open cylindrical end 8 of a container 9. The container 9 as shown has an outer spherical wall it) and an inner spherical wall 11, providing therebetween a hollow space 12 of uniform thickness, slightly Wider in a radial direction than the thickness of the multi-layer 13 of shrapnel elements. By Way of example, the multi-layer 13 is illustrated as having 3 layers, although a different number may be used.

The spherical wall 11 is the outside wall of a hollow container 14 which is filled with the blasting charge.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wall 10 of container 9 at its lower end 15, is suitably fastened to a base plate 16, for example by welding as indicated at 17. The lower end 18 of container 14, is likewise suitably fastened to base plate 16, for example by welding 19. Base plate 16 is in the form of a ring, there being an opening 20 which extends through the ring 16 and into the interior of container 14 so it can be loaded with the blasting charge later. Ring 16 is fastened to a hollow vertical cylindrical sleeve 21 which acts as a vibrating support, by means of screws or bolts like 22. As shown in FIG. 1, ring 16 likewise has bolts like 23 and 24 to later fasten the completed warhead to a missile not shown.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, oscillation of the container 9 and sleeve 21 about a vertical axis is obtained by means of an oscillating connecting rod 30 having a hinge connection 31 on a horizontal axis with the sleeve 21, its outer end having a fork 32 in which rides a cam roller 33 mounted on a rotating table 34 driven through a gear reduction 35 by a motor 36.

As above stated, the rate of oscillation about a vertical axis is of the order of 100 to 150 per minute. Lower or higher vibrations may be used, providing that they are much lower than the rate of vertical vibration. The speed of motor 36 may be varied by a rheostat not shown.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, inside of sleeve 21 is arranged a vertical post or shaft 40 having spaced bearings 41 and 42 which support the sleeve 21 for its oscillation above described. The lower bearing 42 abuts a shoulder 43 on the shaft 40, while the upper bearing 41 is re movably held by a nut 44 and lock nut 45 on the threaded upper end 46 of shaft 40. Shaft 40 at its lower end has an enlarged base 47, see FIG. 1, which is fastened by bolts like 48 to a base plate 49. The base plate 49 is cushioned in its downward motion by rubber cushions like 50 mounted between plate 49 and the frame 51 of the machine. Fastened to the plate 49 by means of a bracket 52 is the armature 53 of the magnet 54. Armature 53 is carried by bolts like 55, 56 each having a slidable sup. port 57 in the magnet base '58. Each bolt has a cushion spring like 59 and 60 at opposite sides of base 58 and arranged respectively between the base and the stops 61, 62. Each such stop as shown, may be in the form of a nut, lock nut and washer.

The magnet 54 and armature 53 drive shaft 40 and sleeve 21 and its container 9 at a high speed such as 3600 vibrations per minute.

The rate of feed may be varied by a suitable rheostat 63. This feed rate may be of the order of 3000 shrapnel elements like 4 per minute, or more. As shown in FIG. 1, the elements like 4 are fed in a uniform stream, single file or otherwise.

When the feed is started, with the machine vibrating and oscillating as above described, the shrapnel elements build up first to form an outer layer and then inner layers up to a certain level, the level of all layers thus rising, when the feeding is continued, until the container is filled.

'If the high frequency jogging at any particular moment results in there being voids or spaces in the layers, the low frequency oscillation causes the shrapnel elements to move laterally and lodge in such voids or open spaces to complete the layer.

From FIG. 2, it is apparent that the axis of fork 32, which lies on an extended radius through shaft 40, oscillates within the limits of 180 and therefore does not make a complete revolution. 'Ihis equally applies to the container support shown as sleeve 21, and it likewise applies to container 9. The fork 32 reaches its positions of maximum throw slightly beyond the dotted line positions shown in FIG. 2, at positions wherein the radius arm of roller 33 through the center of table 34 is at right angles to the previously mentioned axis of the fork 32. The sleeve 21 changes its direction of motion when the roller 33 is at its positions of maximum throw of the fork 32. The roller 33 travels through an arc of more than 180 to move sleeve 21 in one direction, and through an arc of less than 180 to move the sleeve 21 in the reverse direction. During the greater are, the roller 33 is at a greater lever arm towards the outer end of the fork 32 and during the shorter arc the roller 33 is acting on the fork 32 through a shorter lever arm. This results in a slower speed of movement of the sleeve 21 in one direction, with the roller 33 in positions adjacent to the full line position shown in FIG. 2, than in the opposite direction. This produces a centrifugal action on the-shrapnel elements which projects them around the vertical axis of motion through the container farther in one direction than in the opposite direction.

After the container is filled with the shrapnel elements,

the feed is cut off and as shown in FIG. 4, a vacuum is applied to the upper portion of the container as indicated at 70, while the liquid matrix material is fed through one or more inlets indicated at 71 to the interior of the vessel 9, while both vertical and rotary vibrations are applied as above described, to thereby separate each element from its neighbor and from the walls 10 and 11 by a small space into which the matrix material seeps to embed the multi-layer of shrapnel elements into the matrix material. Such material then hardens, due to the presence in it of a hardner, or due to the use of heat which may be applied, or both. Before admitting the matrix material, while the loose play in a radial direction is less than the width of an element 4, it is suflicient so that the matrix material can flow around all sides of all of the elements like 4, to thereby embed them in the matrix material.

It will be apparent from the above description that instead of a random assembly of the shrapnel elements, the invention provides a geometric orientation, with adjacent plane faces departing from parallelism by a slight amount appropriate to the radius of curvature of the container, and with the inner faces of the elements in each layer of the multi-layer 13 on a theoretical surface substantially concentric with the center 25 of the spherical walls 10 and 11.

Various modifications may be made in the invention Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A packaging device for filling a container having hollow spaced walls providing a space of substantially uniform width, comprising means for feeding to the top of the container a supply of similar discrete elements each having a plurality of substantially plane faces, and means for automatically packaging said elements in said space with geometric orientation, said last mentioned meanscomprising means for vibrating said container along a vertical axis at a high rate of vibration, and means for simultaneously oscillating the container at a lower frequency around said axis through an angle less than 180.

2. A packaging device according to claim 1 comprising embedding means operative when said feeding means is inactive, and when said automatic packaging means is active, said embedding means comprising means for evacuating said container and other means for admitting fluid matrix material into said container.

3. A packaging device according to claim 1, said high rate of vibration being of the order of 3600 vibrations per minute, said lower frequency being of the order of to per minute.

4. A packaging device comprising an upright post having a base, means acting on said base for vibrating said post in a substantially vertical direction at a high rate of vibration, a sleeve having a bearing support on said post for oscillation around said post, means for oscillating said sleeve through an angle less than at a comparatively lower frequency, a container support carried by said sleeve and means for feeding material into the top of the container.

5. A packaging device according to claim 4, said vibrating means comprising a magnetic drive and cushion sup' port.

6. A method of stacking cubic objects into a container, comprising dropping the objects into the container and oscillating the container through an angle less than 180 about a vertical axis through the container at a higher. speed in one direction than in the reverse direction.

7. Means for stacking cubic objects into a container, comprising means for dropping the objects into the container and means for oscillating the container through an angle less than 180 about a vertical axis through the container, said oscillating means operating at higher speed in one direction than in the reverse direction.

8. A packaging device comprising an upright post, means for vibrating said post in a substantially vertical direction at a high rate of vibration, a sleeve having a bearing support on said post for oscillation around said post, means for oscillating said sleeve through an angle less than 180 at a comparatively lower frequency, a container support carried by said sleeve, means for feeding material into the top of the container, said oscillating means comprising a connecting rod having an inner end having a hinge connection on a transverse axis with said sleeve, and means comprising an eccentric rotatable on a substantially vertical axis for operating the outer end of said connecting rod.

9. A packaging device according to claim 4 wherein said material includes a plurality of similar discrete polygonal objects and said feeding means includes means for directing a uniform stream of such objects into the top of the container.

10. A machine for filling a container with similar discreate elements, said machine comprising an element supply station, and means for oscillating the container adjacent said supply station a partial turn forwardly and reversely about an axis extending through said container, said means comprising a crank having a hinge connection at one end with the container, a roller having an axis and positioned adjacent the other end of the crank and engageable therewith and means for rotating said roller about an axis spaced from the roller axis for operating the crank to move the container equal amounts in opposite directions during unequal arcs of movement of the roller.

11. A machine for filling a container according to claim including means for jogging the container adjacent said station in the direction of said axis extending through said container and continuously during said oscill ating.

12. A method of stacking discrete polygonal objects into a container comprising: feeding the objects into the container at the top thereof, oscillating the container through an angle less than 180 about a vertical axis through the container at a higher speed in one direction than in the reverse direction, and simultaneously imparting a vibration to the container in the direction of said vertical axis.

13. Means for stacking discrete polygonal objects into a container comprising: means for dropping the objects into the top of the container, means for oscillating the container through an angle less than about a vertical axis through the container, said oscillating means operating at a higher speed in one direction than in the reverse direction, and means for imparting a vertical vibration to said container.

14. Means for rapidly arranging in close uniform layers or courses a plurality of discrete polygonal objects in an annular-like chamber means, comprising: means for feeding said objects into the top of said chamber means; means for oscillating said chamber means through an angle less than 180 about an axis through said charnber means, said oscillating means operating at a higher speed in one direction than in the reverse direction; and means for imparting a vibration to said chamber means in the direction of said axis through said chamber means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 540,723 Colgin June 11, 1895 723,256 Emery Mar. 24, 1903 1,276,341 Galleazzi Aug. 20, 1918 2,401,483 Hensel et al. June 4, 1946 2,431,872 Kavula Dec. 2, 1947 2,585,558 Lakso Feb. 12, 1952 2,713,960 Siegal July 26, 1955 2,775,268 Eckart Dec. 25, 1956 2,833,091 Whitney May 6, 1958 2,882,658 Weisman Apr. 21, 1959 2,899,783 Otto Aug. 18, 1959 2,929,254 Gustafson et a1 Mar. 22, 1960 

